Dreaming Wide Awake
by Poetic-Fool
Summary: When Alex was five, he started to dream about a boy. When he was eighteen, he found out he was real. Alex/Henry.


This one-shot is for Dussterlover99, She requested a story with lot's of kissing. Well here it is, a fluffy one-shot. Highly recommend listening to the song 'Dreaming Wide Awake' by Poets of the Fall, That is the song that inspired this story.

Disclaimer: Don't own at all.

Warning: AU, possible OC. As of 6-3-12 Beta'ed

When Alex was five, the dreams started.

They were normal enough for a five year old, nothing that he was able to remember when he awoke the next day. They were never nightmares, just normal dreams.

The dreams, to him, were confusing nonetheless, and always had one element in them that remained the same: a small boy with sandy-brown hair, with the most striking green eyes that Alex had ever seen.

When they kept on persisting, he went to his father.

"Sir, someone's in trouble," that was the only thing his mind could fathom. The boy needed help, and Alex knew he was the only one who was able to save him.

"Who is in trouble?" His father asked, putting down a screwdriver to listen to his son. Bending down on his knees, so that he was at eye level with him, Adam waited for his son to explain what he had just said.

"The boy who is in my dreams," Alex answered his father quickly, "he looks so lost and alone. He needs our help."

"Don't speak such nonsense. Unless someone is really in trouble, don't come to me with such made-up stories." Adam dismissed his son with a scowl. Turning back to his work, he left Alex with more questions than answers.

When Alex went to bed that night, he made a promise to himself that he would befriend the boy. Repeating his promise over in his head, Alex was taken to his dream world.

He was in the park near his home and, from what Alex could tell, it was dark and well past his bed time. Gentle raindrops started to soak the playground equipment.

Looking around, he tried to spot the boy: he was surprised to find out that he was the first one to make into the dream world. Usually he was the one that came late and he would have little to no time to try to speak to the boy.

Alex climbed up the slide to sit at the top. He didn't have to wait too long before he spotted a soft light coming from the merry-go-round. Once it faded the boy appeared.

Grinning happily, Alex slid down the slide and ran up to the boy.

"Hiya," Alex greeted, "I'm Alex, What's your name?" The smaller boy didn't reply. He was trying his best not to look up at Alex. "I'm not going to fight you, I wanna play with you," Alex innocently told the boy.

"Henry," The boy whispered, "My name is Henry."

Happy that he was able to get the boy to tell him his name, Alex started to shape a plan to play with his new friend. "Okay Henry, I'll race you to the slide."

Taking off in the direction of the slide, Alex could hear footsteps close behind him. He was paying such close attention to the person behind him that he missed Henry passing him and reaching the slide first.

"No fair," Alex panted out, pouting at the fact that he lost.

Henry smiled at him shyly. "Sorry... Why don't you go down first?"

Smiling at his new friend, Alex happily took Henry's offer, and climbed up the slide.

When Alex was seven, he mustered up the courage to ask the boy if he was okay.

Alex wanted to protect his friend, more than ever. His life was changing in the real world. He was a brother now, full of responsibility to his family.

He never spoke about his dreams again to his father. His father was already unhappy with Alex's day dreaming; Alex did not need to fuel more to the fire of his father's temper. His mother didn't even know about the dreams, she was always too busy planning for another child to listen to Alex. Once Josh was born, Lillian forgot she even had another son.

However, that did not change the fact that the boy still needed Alex's gentle silence. Henry was relatively shy when it came to him. He changed, in the two years of the dreams, becoming much more shy than the playful five-year old he once was. He became unsure of how he should handle Alex's antics.

Alex's dream took him to a playground. It was in an unfamiliar location and seemed filthier than the playground he lived by. Clearly this was not a place to play.

Trying to comprehend his surroundings, he noticed Henry sitting on one of the swings.

"Hello," Alex came up to the boy, "How are you doing today?"

"Fine," Henry replied back. Ignoring Alex, he started to swing to prevent them from talking.

"You don't seem fine," Alex answered, taking a step back to prevent him from getting hit. He started to notice that Henry looked different. It took Alex a bit, but he finally saw it, "Who beat you up?"

Henry's feet hit the gravel below, causing him to come to a halt. His head shot up, giving Alex a frantic look as tears started to fall from his eyes, "No one."

Engulfing the smaller boy into a hug, Alex just let the other cry out his frustrations. Soothing his friend was the only thing that he was able to do at that moment.

"Henry, I'm here now. Please calm down." Alex pleaded with his friend. He felt uncomfortable seeing his friend in such pain.

"Papa hit me. He got angry when I tripped and broke grandma's vase." Henry sniffed, leaning deeper into the others touch, "My brother, Walter, tried to stop him, but Papa got to me before Walter was able to save me."

That was the first time Alex had ever heard of Henry's family.

"Are you safe?" Alex questioned, not sure how to handle the situation at hand. He regretfully figured out that he couldn't do anything but make sure Henry was okay.

"Yes, Walter took me to live with him," Henry sniffed out. His shaking subsided as Alex rubbed small circles on his back.

"Will your big brother take good care of you?" Backing away, so Alex could see the other's face, he smiled at the sight of Henry's rosy cheeks as he was calming down.

"Yes he will. He told me that he will fight to keep me living with him."

A light bulb came on in Alex's head. "How about this? Your big brother will be your protector when I am not around, and if you have any more problems you'll talk to me. 'Kay?" Alex smiled at Henry, giving him a proud look, happy that he came up with such a good idea.

"I would like that very much." Henry hugged Alex, showing him how thankful he was that Alex was his friend.

By the time Alex was ten, he had gotten a handle on his dreams.

They were becoming a great comfort to him as he was growing older. If life in the real world did not treat him well, he could always look forward to seeing Henry.

He started to figure out how the dreams brought the two boys together: Every time they went into the dream world, they came to each other in a bright light and left each other by fading away. Alex soon took note that fading happened only when he woke up.

His time in his dreams soon started to take a toll in his waking world. His socialization was hindered and he only had one friend, Elle. She was the only real person that he felt like he could trust. Elle was the only person that he was able to handle being around.

Alex's father was becoming greatly frustrated with his eldest son. The many fights that the two had were becoming more frequent. Adam was starting to become annoyed that his son was living in a dream world. Even though Alex did well in school, he still had trouble telling reality from fantasy.

Alex on the other hand saw no real crime of having an imagination. He always found new ways of having fun and took those ideas to Henry.

"Henry, keep up," Alex yelled over his shoulder as he made sure that the other was still behind him.

"Alex slow down, I'm not as fast as you." Henry panted his reply.

"That's what happens when you spend all your time in books." Henry stuck his tongue at Alex when his reading habits came into question.

"I don't read all the time, I take pictures." Henry proudly exclaimed.

Laughing at his friend's antics, Alex started to run back to the park. He was so preoccupied with making sure Henry was running behind him that he didn't notice a pole in his path.

"Alex, watch out!" Henry yelled at his friend, as he watched Alex collide with a pole. What scared Henry more than seeing his friend get hurt was seeing his friend suddenly vanished into thin air.

Next thing Alex knew, he was lying in his bed once again. His head was throbbing and he didn't know why.

Carefully climbing down the ladder of the bunk bed, Alex quietly made his way into the bathroom. What he found, when he looked in the mirror, surprised him:

Right where he smacked his head against the pole in his dream was a large purple bruise.

Trying his best not to look at his new mark, Alex went back to bed before his father caught him.

It took him awhile for him to fall back to sleep. His mind was too busy trying to comprehend what just happened. '_Hurting myself in my dreams happens to me in real life'_ Alex thought to himself, _'Does that mean any mark I get in the real world also shows up in the dream world?" _Frowning in frustration, Alex turned onto his side and fell back to sleep.

He appeared in the park that he was running through before. He wasn't sure where Henry was, but he knew the other boy must have been scared out of his mind.

"Don't scare me like that ever again," Alex was rushed from the side as Henry wrapped his arms around the other, "I didn't know where you went to."

"I'm sorry Henry, I won't do it again."

Alex kept his promise after that. He became careful of his actions in his dreams. He never did anything that could result in him waking up suddenly, resulting in leaving Henry alone and confused.

When Alex was fifteen, he realized that he was in love with Henry.

Looking at the situation at hand, he thought he was going crazy. He was in love with a boy who only existed in his dreams.

He had plenty of chances in the waking world to find someone. He knew Elle would jump at the chance to go on a date with him.

"Alex, why haven't you asked me out yet?" Elle asked as they were sitting in the park. She was getting curious about why her childhood friend had yet to heed the teasing of their parents. "I mean, clearly, everyone else thinks that we should date. I just want to know why you haven't gotten up the courage yet."

"I don't know, I…" He looked away from her eyes. He did not want to see her disappointed look when she found out that he did not hold any romantic feeling towards her. He was fidgeting; he could not tell her the real reason why he was unable to ask her out.

"I knew it," Elle giggled, "you have a girlfriend don't you."

"Elle, you got it all wrong. I don't have a girlfriend." He tried to explain to her.

"Don't you lie to me," She teased, "I have to say that I am a little disappointed, I wouldn't have minded if we dated, but what's done is done. So who is she? Do I know her?"

_'I highly doubt that you know him.'_ Alex wanted to say sarcastically.

"Or maybe... you got up the courage and asked this Henry out on a date." She accused, noting that Alex went rigid when she said the name. Alex started to think that she knew too much for his liking.

"How do you know that name?"

"Rule number one when you sleep through your free period: don't talk in your sleep." She pointed out, "So when can he come to town so I can meet him?"

"You can't, because he's not real." Alex shot back. He was confused enough as was. It was hard to be in love with a boy who was literally from his dreams, but having the girl, who could give him a normal life, find out about the boy, complicated his life more.

"I don't get it," Elle confessed in confusion.

Sighing in defeat, Alex knew it was time to tell his best friend about his dream friend, "I've been dreaming about Henry since I was five. Somehow, within these dreams, my subconscious has built a friendship with a person who doesn't exist."

"Maybe he is real. Maybe you're connected with a red string of fate to Henry, and it's acting like a middle man so you are able to get to know each other." Elle exclaimed.

"I think you need to lay off the manga for a while "Alex defended back, "didn't your mother ban you from reading them?"

"What she does not know will not hurt me. But come on, there is so much in life that cannot be explained."

"Sometimes your logic is really odd." They both gave a laugh and they started to make their way to their homes. Elle gave Alex a 'good luck' hug and waved good-bye as they parted.

That night, Alex's dream was different. He was not in a park or a playground, like he usually was, but he found himself lying on a couch in a living room. Looking around, he wasn't sure if he had ever been in the room before. It was clean and well furnished, and made up for its small size with bright colored walls.

"Finally, you're awake," A voice came from across from him.

Looking up, Alex met Henry's gaze. He was sitting on a chair opposite of him with his chin resting on his knees.

"Sorry, do you know where we are?" Alex asked.

"Yes, we're in my grandma's living room." Henry answered back. "You okay? You've never came here sleeping before."

"Just a little stress, I guess." He replied back. Looking up at Henry, Alex realized that he could not look at him without blushing. Elle's words coming back to him, causing his mind to falter.

"Your face is flushed, are you getting sick?" Henry came closer and bent his head down so his forehead touched the others, checking Alex's temperature.

"I'm fine," Alex squeaked as he moved away from Henry.

Henry raised his eyebrow at Alex's voice crack. "You are acting really strange tonight."

Alex moved away from the other and started to busy himself by looking at all the pictures that were on the mantel of the fireplace.

"Is this your brother?" Alex pointed to a picture of Henry with a man with blonde hair.

"Yea, that's Walter." Crossing his arms, Henry put on a serious look. "Don't change the subject, what is wrong?"

"Elle asked me why I haven't asked her out yet. She figured on her own that there was someone else; she knows about you; and…" Alex sucked in his breath, trying to calm his nerves, "I think I love you."

Henry was shocked. He hadn't been expecting to have Alex to admit what was bothering him. Within the ten years that he knew the boy, Henry had never seen Alex breakdown because of his feelings.

Regaining his composure, except for his blushing face, Henry smiled to himself. "When did you come up with this conclusion?"

Blushing, Alex was having trouble comprehending the fact that Henry was not freaking out about his reveal.

"I don't understand." He admitted.

"This might come as a shock to you," Henry softly spoke out, "I maybe in love with you too."

Looking at the shorter boy, Alex could see the sincerity in Henry's eyes. Reaching out, Alex pulled the other into an embrace.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alex questioned.

"You kept on talking about asking Elle out on a date. How could I tell you how I felt?" Henry shrugged his shoulders.

"Damn, I've been an idiot." He hugged Henry tighter. He felt like he was making up for lost time from when he had quit hanging off of Henry when he was thirteen.

Henry started to wiggle from his embrace. Loosening his grip, Alex looked down to give Henry an apologetic smile. Henry took the advantage, leaning up to make up for the height difference; he placed his lips on the others in a quick kiss.

It was a shy first kiss, but it was Alex's first kiss none the less.

Breaking apart, Alex looked down, knowing deep in his heart that Henry stole more than his first kiss. Henry stole his heart.

When Alex was sixteen, he was getting sick of his home life.

His mother never gave him the time of day and his dad always yelled at every little thing he did. Even the light of having Josh as his brother did not help.

It started when Alex told his mother that he would not be asking Elle to a dance. Lillian showed a rare concern to her eldest son; asking why he would not bring such a sweet girl to the school dance.

"Because, I don't like her that way, I don't like any girls that way." He shot back; annoyed at the fact that his mother was concerning herself with a subject he did not want to talk about.

A rough hand grabbed the scruff of his neck, letting go when he was pushed against the wall. Alex was met with his father's angry face, "Don't you dare talk like that. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Alex replied obediently.

That was the last time Alex brought up anything that was relevant to his life to his parents. The cracks between them were growing larger as each day passed.

His only escape from reality was to go to Henry in his sleep. He would sleep every chance he could get, but Henry only appeared to him at night. Within those nights, Alex would always feel better in the other's presence than he did anywhere else.

"You got in another fight at school, didn't you?" Henry asked as he placed his hand on Alex's bruised cheek.

"I'm okay," Alex answered as he bent down and kissed Henry, "I had back up. Elle really knows how to throw a punch."

"Thank her for me, okay?" Henry asked as he reached up and kissed the other's bruised cheek.

"It's not your fault; I'm used to getting bullied." Sitting down near the base of a nearby tree, Alex brought Henry into his lap. "Calm down, we don't have much time today. I have to get up early for a school trip."

"You seem distracted," Henry moved his body so he would be able to place his head on Alex's shoulder. Fiddling with their hands, Alex gave out a sigh.

"My parents aren't too happy about me getting into another fight at school." Alex confessed, revealing the truth to his problem, "I asked them if I could go live with my aunt and uncle and they weren't very happy at the thought."

"Do you want that? Would you be happier living somewhere else?" Henry asked.

"Yes, anything would be better than fighting all the time. Sure, Elle makes life a bit better but, that does not make up for the time that she cannot be with me."

A tense silence fell between them. Reaching back, Henry started to rub small circles into Alex's shoulder, "Maybe we should stop this. I mean it would be easier for both of us if we find someone in the real world."

"I love you too much to find someone in real life." Alex knew that what he just said was pathetic. He was too far gone to try to find a real person to love.

"I love you to, but you have to be realistic." Henry was trying his best to be sensible about their relationship. As much as it pained him to admit, Henry knew that their relationship could not last.

"Please Henry, not tonight. I just need to calm down before waking up." Leaning his head down to meet Henry's forehead, Alex started to place butterfly kisses on the other's checks. Henry held Alex closer, settling into a peaceful silence that lasted until Alex disappeared into the real world.

When Alex was eighteen, he found Henry.

He had been living with his Uncle James and Aunt Mary for around two years. Living in an agreement with his father; Alex could live with his aunt and uncle on the condition that he had to see a therapist.

His dreams were starting to become less frequent. Every passing day, when the dreams did not come to him, he moved deeper into a depression. He was having a hard time with not seeing Henry every day.

Alex became disconnect with real people. He rarely spoke in school, to associates or his classmates. He put what little energy he had into his school work and his home life. His therapist noticed the change in his personality and suggested to James and Mary to take Alex on a trip for a change of scenery.

"I cannot believe that we haven't taken you to South Ashfield," Mary commented to her nephew, "Frank's been wondering when we were going to bring you up to the apartments."

Alex settled on looking out the window, not in the mood to talk. As he started to drift into a nap, hoping to see Henry's green eyes, Laura started to poke him in the side.

"Quit it." He snapped at her.

"You know you are not supposed to sleep unless it is for the night," She retorted back, "it would be a waste anyway because we're in town." Focusing back on the scenery, he realized that they were no longer on the highway, but in a city. "Dad, when will we be at Grandpa's?" Laura asked.

"Soon enough we're here," James smiled back at Laura.

Once James was able to find a parking space and put the car in park, Laura was out of the car and running towards the apartment building.

"Laura slow down, or else you'll hurt yourself," Mary's warning for her daughter was late; Laura did not notice the men who were walking out of the entrance.

"Ow! You big meanie!" She yelled from the ground, giving the two men her best angry look.

Stepping out of the car, Alex walked to his cousin. "Sorry about that, she's just eager to…" Alex froze. He recognized the man who was checking Laura for any injury.

"Sorry about Laura, Walter. She's just excited to visit Frank." James stepped in to finish his nephew's sentence.

"That's fine, James. Henry and I were just heading out." Walter reassured James," Good to see you. We'll come by later tonight to see if our little invalid is doing all right."

Alex lost his voice; he could not believe what he was seeing. The young man, who was standing in the doorway, was Henry. His Henry, who he thought he lost a long time ago.

"Henry," he whispered in surprise.

Looking up from the scene with Laura, Henry's face warped into astonishment.

The two teenagers started to stare at each other. Both were in complete disbelief of the other being real.

"Henry, you okay?" Walter asked his brother.

"I'm fine, but I need to get to work." Henry started down the steps and passed Alex, avoiding his eyes.

"Well, we must get going; we'll see you later tonight?" Walter gave a wave at the group and followed his brother to his car.

"That will be wonderful," Mary called out, "Make sure you don't eat dinner, I'll be making that tonight."

Alex was struggling to comprehend what he just witnessed. The boy, who had been in his dreams for thirteen years, was flesh and blood. That man he loved so dearly was real and living in his great-uncle's apartment.

Alex took a perch at Frank's window, spending his time watching the clouds go by; he even got to see what appeared to be a Robbie the Rabbit balloon floating in the sky.

"Alex. Why don't you go wash up for dinner?" Mary came up from behind him, leaning in to give him a hug.

"Okay," for the first time in his life, he felt that he was wanted. He was able to get the acceptance that he never had with his parents from Mary and James.

Sitting himself back at his perch, Alex waited for the guests to arrive. He was becoming nervous at the thought of seeing Henry again. His mind became more conflicted at the thought of Henry not being 'his' Henry that the last thirteen years of his life was a complete and utter lie.

"Dad, they're here!" Laura's voice yelled out, breaking Alex from his thoughts.

Turning towards the door, Alex watched as Laura let the two men into the apartment.

"Hello Laura," Walter's smooth voice boomed, "how is your knee?"

"It's doing much better, thank you for asking." Smirking at Laura's innocent act, Alex turned back to the window, waiting for the night to be over.

"What's so funny, Alex?" A voice whispered from behind him. He went rigid; turning to the source of the voice, Alex was met with the sight of Henry.

Not sure how to approach the other, Alex gave Henry a blank look. The two started back on their staring contest while the rest of the group busied themselves in the kitchen.

"I thought I lost you forever," Henry broke the silence, stepping closer to the other so that no one else in the apartment would hear him, "When I saw you this morning, I was surprised. I didn't know if it was you or not, but when you said my name, I nearly lost it."

"You've gotten taller," was all Alex was able to reply with. His mind was spinning. This Henry, the one who was standing before him, was his Henry. The boy that he befriended when he was five, the teenager that he fell in love when he was fifteen, was standing before him.

Alex had to pinch himself to make sure that he was awake. Feeling the sting and looking down at the mark, he nearly broke down in tears.

Resting his hand on the other's shoulders, Henry whispered into Alex's ear, "Meet me on the roof tonight at midnight."

Shaking his head in agreement, Alex made his way into the dining room, Henry followed behind him.

Dinner passed in blur for Alex. He hardly could keep up with the conversations that went around him. Alex barely spoke when he was addressed, by the time dinner was over, he estimated he spoke a grand total of five times, Henry had him beat by one conversation with his brother.

Later, sitting on the couch, Alex waited for the right opportunity to head for the roof. He waited before carefully opening the front door. Then Alex slipped out of the apartment and headed for the stairs.

It took Alex another fifteen minutes to find the stairwell leading up to the roof. Taking the stairs two at a time, he made his way to the roof. Alex wasn't sure if he was late or early. Looking around the rooftop, he tried his hardest to find Henry's silhouette in the darkness.

An hour passed and there was still no sign of Henry. Alex started to wonder if he was being played or not. He was getting ready to leave when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Turning to the roof's door, Alex was happy to know that he hadn't been stood up.

Henry appeared from the doorway in a great huff.

"Hey," Alex quietly greeted him.

Henry slowly walked to where the other was standing. Before he could reach Alex, the other met him halfway. Henry started to fidget with his hands, not know what to do.

Alex was going through the same dilemma. He was not sure how to speak to Henry after not being able to see him for the last two years.

Reaching out, Alex brought the other into a hug, "I'm so sorry."

Leaning up, Henry brought their lips together in a long anticipated kiss. "Sorry it took me so long, Walter wouldn't go to bed," Henry murmured, leaning his forehead on Alex's shoulder, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Alex kissed the side of Henry's face. Reassuring himself that Henry was really with him, and they were in the real world.

"Why did you stop coming to me?" Henry questioned.

"I was put on some medication that caused me to stop dreaming." Struggling to find the right words to comfort his boyfriend "It was part of an agreement with my father; I had to get psychological help if I wanted to live with James and Mary."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't reach you." Henry whispered as he reached in for another kiss.

"You've gotten bolder," Alex chucked causing Henry's face to turn red.

Shaking his head in disagreement, Henry rested his head on the Alex's shoulder, "Walter would have to disagree with you. He would say that I've gotten more reclusive. He calls me hermit if I ever decide to leave my room."

Alex held Henry tighter, coming to an understanding that the last two years had the same effect on Henry as it did on Alex.

"How long do we have until we both have to be back?" he asked Henry as he led him to the wall was near the door.

"Don't know, Walter gets up around seven and he wakes me up around eight." Taking the space next to Alex, Henry started to look out on the city's landscape.

Taking the other's hand, Alex was trying to form what he wanted to say within his head. He was having difficulty saying what he knew he should say.

"I cannot believe that you're real." Letting out what he was trying to comprehend, Alex placed his other hand on his forehead in confusion.

"Strange isn't it?" The other commented on Alex's confusion. "I've spent a better part of a year trying to figure out if you were real or just some fragment of my imagination."

"So, I'm really not crazy." Letting out a small laugh, Alex dropped his hand and reached for Henry's face, "I still love you." Alex pulled Henry back to a hug. Try desperately to comprehend that he was in reality and not in a dream that would end within minutes. "You don't know how much I mean that." Alex confessed, tightening his hold.

"I believe you." Shifting so he could breathe better, Henry started to trace his fingers on the base of the other's neck, relishing the feeling of being in the other's arms. "I love you."

Kissing Henry's cheek, Alex's pain from the past two years slowly melted away. He was starting to feel new hope forming within his soul.

"The sun's coming up," Henry murmured, "I need to get back home."

Reluctantly, Alex separated from Henry and rose to his feet. "We'll talk later. I'm here for a week."

Pulling in for another kiss, they headed back into the building. Separating at the base of the stairs, Alex promised to see him later that day.

When Alex turned twenty-three, the dreams stopped completely.

They came to him every so often, coming back once he stopped take his medication. Then he was allowed once again to see Henry.

They became welcome once he became a soldier and had to leave for months at a time. The dreams were much more frequent when he had to spend his time away from Henry.

Yet, as time passed and he slowly gotten used to being away from his love, the dreams slowly trickled into nothing.

Within the weeks of them stopping, he felt disappointed. He felt like the most important thing in his life was finally taken away from him.

"Alex, it's time to get up," a voice whispered into his ear.

Turning his body so he was facing the voice, he was greeted with a kiss. Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of Henry's messy hair.

"Five more minutes, we don't have to be on the road for another three hours." Alex murmured as he started to nestle himself close to Henry.

"Tell that to Walter." Henry retorted back as he nuzzled Alex right back.

"I just got home from the hospital," Alex yawned, running his fingers through Henry's bed-head, trying his best to tame the wild hair, "I wouldn't mind sleeping in."

"He wants to check your wounds," Henry muffled back, leaning into the touch, "besides, we get to see our nephew."

"You get shot twice and you get your own personal doctor." Alex joked, getting an annoyed look from the other.

"Don't talk like that," Henry poked at him, "He wants to check if you'll heal well enough so you will be able to start school in the fall."

Being mindful of his wounds, Alex turned fully to face Henry, "I don't understand why your brother worries about me so much."

"Because, you are family," Kissing Alex's reply away, Henry started to rise from the bed. "No matter how much you argue with me, we both see you as part of our family."

Laughing at the thought of family, Alex followed Henry out of bedroom. Taking a seat on the couch in the living room, Alex couldn't help but think how much his life had changed over the past eighteen years.

He was now living with his boyfriend, who was literally from his dreams. He even was talking with his parents once again, patching up the rift between them. His parents were even going to allow Josh to spend the summer with him.

He was truly happy with the path his life was on.

Lying back on the couch to conserve his strength, he waited to start his day. Alex heard gentle footsteps come down the hallway and, turning his head, he was met with the sight of Henry trying to dry his hair.

"Bathroom is open," Henry told his boyfriend.

Carefully leaving the couch, Alex wrapped Henry into a hug and gently kissed Henry, he whispered into the others ear, "Love you."

Smiling at his boyfriend antics, Henry replied back, "Love you too."

Alex truly was dreaming wide awake.

A/N Before I started writing this, I made a promise to write 10 pages, in the end I got to 20. I was so happy about that. I hope you enjoyed reading this, as I tried to write something different. Hope I did well, because I am really proud of this.


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